At the beginning of the episode, Mercy King (Wunmi Mosaku) and Keith Sullivan (Craig Parkinson) go on the hunt for Lee Simmons. They speak with one of the neighbors and learn that she is always borrowing Lee’s vacuum cleaner. After the intro, Daniel (Mark Strong) brings Anna (Carice van Houten) a drink while she works. Anna has made progress but they haven’t been able to solve the problem with the retroviral vectors yet. Lee (Daniel Mays) interrupts and lets Daniel know that the new patient has arrived. Daniel tells Anna that he would like to chat about her discovery later before leaving.

Then, he speaks with the new patient who has been an alcoholic for 30 years. The woman is convinced that she cannot stop drinking but she has a daughter, Stephanie, now. She hasn’t seen her daughter for more than 20 years and she has two daughters of her own. The patient wants to be in their lives. She tells Daniel about an implant that you can get in Latvia. The implant releases a drug in the body to create intense pain when the individual attempts to consume alcohol. Daniel tells Lee that he is worried about doing it. Lee reveals to Daniel that he has bought a handgun. Daniel doesn’t like it but he tells Lee he can keep it as long as he doesn’t bring it around the clinic.

After that, Lee goes to the store for supplies. He runs into an old school mate, Celine (Carolina Main). Celine follows him outside and invites him out for coffee. Lee accepts the offer. Meanwhile, Daniel and Jamie (Tobi King Bakare) prepare dinner for everyone at the clinic. During dinner, everyone wants to know more about Lee’s relationship with Celine. In a flashback, we see the moment Daniel and Lee strike up a conversation and connect on an emotional level. Back at the clinic, Daniel massages Beth’s arm and hand. He inspects Beth (Catherine McCormack) carefully and believes that something might be wrong.

He calls Simon (Turlough Convery) a few moments later to schedule a meeting. Daniel meets up with him and gives him more samples to test. Daniel encourages Simon to rush the testing if possible. Lee and Jamie plant vegetables in the clinic. Daniel interrupts and tells Lee that they need to test the anti-alcohol drug. Lee finds a way out by convincing Jamie to take his place. They administer the drug and give Jamie alcohol. Sure enough, it works as intended. Jamie feels intense pain due to the drug. Later, Daniel calls Simon to inquire about the sample. Nothing has been determined yet so the call ends and Anna enters. Anna tells Daniel that they’re doing well.

He offers her a drink but she refuses since she promised Jack (Sam Hazeldine) that she’d be home on time tonight. We see another flashback. Anna and Daniel talk about ending their romantic relationship to prevent someone from getting hurt. Daniel doesn’t seem interested in letting that happen. Meanwhile, Lee meets with Celine at a restaurant. Their date goes very well. Lee tells Celine about his accident and recovery. Next, Simon calls Daniel and tells him that he was right about the kidneys. Beth is in stage five renal failure. After that, Lee wakes up Daniel after he falls asleep next to his wife. Lee tells him that he is ready to go over their diaries.

Lee wants to talk about something else too. He tells Daniel that he has been a big inspiration for him because he has never given up on Beth. After that, Lee speaks with Jamie in private. During their conversation, we learn that the policeman Jamie hit has died. Jamie feels horrible about it so Lee tries to comfort him. Jamie is worried that Michelle (Siena Kelly) is going to hate him. Lee decides to come up with a plan so Jamie can communicate with her. Next, DI Karen Hall (Chloe Pirrie) and Rob (Ryan McKen) spy on Michelle at work. Before too long, Lee arrives and enters Michelle’s workplace.

The investigators watch as Lee gives Michelle a cellphone and tells her to keep it hidden. He explains that Jamie will contact her at midnight. The investigators do not see the phone but they’re suspicious. Karen steps outside in hopes of catching Lee’s license plate but she is too late. Lee returns to the clinic and tells Jamie that it is done. He pleads with his friend to be very careful since getting in touch with Michelle is risky. After that, Lee brings the alcoholic patient to the clinic for treatment. Daniel is distracted so he steps away from Mrs. Farnham for a few moments. He calls Simon and asks to meet with him for 20 minutes. Daniel agrees to pay him 200 pounds for the meeting.

During that meeting, Daniel tries to get contact information for some individuals. Simon is worried since he believes that they’re not good people. Still, he relents and gives Daniel a telephone number. Lee takes Farnham home. She thanks him for helping her. Daniel returns to the clinic and finds out that Anna is worried about Beth because she doesn’t look great. Anna leaves a few moments later. She doesn’t seem too happy to return to Jack. Daniel spends time with his wife while Jamie sends a text message to Michelle. Lee speaks with Celine before he hears a knock at the door. The individual at the door asks to borrow Lee’s vacuum cleaner.

Lee opens the door to find Keith and Mercy out there. Keith attacks him and they storm inside. Lee is put in a chair and interrogated. They want to know where Jamie might be or they want to find out who might know. Lee says that he knows a woman. He doesn’t know who she is but he knows where she works. Keith and Mercy leave the apartment complex as the episode comes to an end.

 

Temple Review

It was only a matter of time before Mercy and Keith hurt someone. Sadly, it had to be Lee. I sincerely hope Lee is okay because he has been one of the most likable characters. I am glad they cut down on the flashbacks a little but I wish they would stop using them at this point. I am not sure they’re necessary anymore. I was hoping the show would have put more emphasis on Daniel’s patients. The alcoholic patient was in and out in seconds. I would have liked to learn more about her and her history.

Still, I have enjoyed every episode of Temple. I am going to stick with it and I would watch a second series if one is made. This episode was mostly great. I’d give it a 7.5 out of 10. Remember we have previous recaps of Temple on Reel Mockery!